Emergency sewer line repair is the fix for the buried pipe, called the lateral, that carries waste from your house out to the public sewer main. When that pipe cracks, fills with roots or collapses, wastewater has nowhere to go but back up through your lowest drain. Our line is open 24/7, so call (215) 714-6692 while you stop using water and keep everyone away from the wet floor.
Most sewer lines warn you before they fail. A gurgling toilet, several slow drains at once and a wet patch in the yard are the usual early signs, and this page walks through them, the causes underneath, and the four ways a failed line gets repaired.
Warning signs that a sewer line is failing
Gurgling after a flush
A toilet that bubbles or a drain that gurgles when another fixture runs is air being pushed past a partial blockage. It often shows up days before a full backup.
Several drains slow at once
One slow sink is usually a local clog. When the tub, the toilet and the laundry drain all lag together, the trouble is likely in the shared line downstream.
Backup in the lowest drain
Sewage always finds the lowest opening first, which is often a basement floor drain or shower. Treat any dirty water there as a sewer problem until a plumber proves otherwise.
Sewer smell indoors or out
A steady odor near a floor drain, a cleanout cap or one spot in the yard can mean an open joint or a crack. A dry trap can smell too, so the plumber rules that out first.
A wet or sunken spot in the lawn
Soggy, unusually green grass or a dip along the line's path during dry weather points to leaking wastewater. A camera run, described under sewer inspection, confirms it without digging.
The tub fills when the washer drains
Water from a washer surfacing in a tub or toilet means the main drain cannot carry the load. Stop the washer at once.
What breaks a sewer line under an Abington yard
Tree roots are a frequent culprit. They slip into tiny gaps at joints, grow inside the pipe and catch paper and grease until the flow slows and then stops. Roots rarely break a sound pipe, they take advantage of one that already leaks.
Age matters just as much. The median home in Abington Township was built in 1956, and about 61 percent of the 23,232 homes predate 1960, according to Census American Community Survey estimates for 2020 to 2024. Laterals from that era were often clay tile in short sections or cast iron.
Those materials mean many joints for roots to reach, and they scale or crack with time. If your house dates from the 1940s or 1950s, ask whether anyone ever replaced the lateral.
Cast iron rusts and flakes from the inside until the opening narrows. Clay tile cracks and shifts. Either can settle into a belly, a low spot where waste sits instead of flowing, and offset joints leave a lip where paper snags and builds up.
The township's 2007 plan says Glenside's sewers were replaced in the 1990s, but that describes the public mains. The private lateral from the house to the main is a separate pipe, so a newer street sewer in Glenside does not tell you the pipe under your own lawn is newer too.
Sewage coming up a drain?
Stop the water and call. A dispatcher answers at any hour and can tell you whether a same-day visit is open.
Sewage backing up in your house right now
If dirty water is rising in a drain, work through these in order and call as soon as you can.
Stop all water use
Do not flush, run a faucet or take a shower. Every gallon you add has to leave through the same blocked pipe, and the lowest drain is where it comes out.
Keep the washer and dishwasher off
A washer dumps a large volume fast. It can turn a small backup into sewage across the whole basement floor.
Keep people and pets away
Sewage carries bacteria. Keep children, pets and anyone with a weak immune system out of the wet area, and wear rubber boots and gloves if you must cross it.
Stay clear of electrical equipment
If sewage reaches outlets, the panel or the furnace, do not touch them. Leave the power alone unless you can reach the switch on dry ground.
Ask whether the neighbors are backing up
If several houses on your street have the same trouble, the township main may be blocked. The township takes sewer backup calls at 215-884-8329, and you can call us as well.
Call and describe what you see
Tell the dispatcher which drain is backing up, whether the level is still rising and whether any fixture still drains. Take photos before cleanup for your insurer, and skip chemical drain openers, which can splash and harm the pipe.
Four repair paths and the trade-off in each
The right repair depends on what a camera shows, so an honest plumber does not pick one over the phone. Lining and bursting also depend on the pipe's condition and on where the access pits can go.
| Repair path | Usually a fit when | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Spot repair | One broken joint or short crack, with sound pipe on both sides | A small dig, but a second failure nearby means another dig |
| Trenchless lining | Cracks, root gaps and leaking joints in a pipe that still holds its shape. The line is cleaned first, see sewer line cleaning | Usually little digging, but a collapsed pipe or a deep belly may rule it out, and the liner slightly narrows the pipe |
| Pipe bursting | A long run of failed pipe where pits can be dug at each end | Often less surface damage than a trench, though other buried lines or structures nearby may make it a poor choice |
| Full dig replacement | A collapsed line, a severe belly or mixed old materials | The most disruption to lawn and paving, but you see the whole grade and every joint |
Plumbing permits in the township are pulled by a master plumber registered with the township. Lateral-specific rules were not published where we looked, so the plumber confirms with Community Development, which administers the plumbing ordinance.
What moves the price of a sewer line repair
A sewer quote can swing a long way between two houses on the same street. You get a clear price before work starts, and these are the things that decide it.
Many homeowner policies treat a sudden backup differently from slow root or age damage, and some need an added endorsement for sewer backup. Read your policy or ask your insurer before work begins. For a clear price on your own line, call (215) 714-6692.
Call for your priceWhose pipe is it, yours or the township's?
Abington Township owns and runs the public sanitary sewer and the treatment plant at 1000 Fitzwatertown Road in Roslyn. Its Wastewater Utilities Department takes sewer backup calls at 215-884-8329. The township's own page says the pipe from a house connects directly to the sewer main, and that a blockage between the house and the main is a job for a plumber.
That points to the lateral being the homeowner's side, but we did not find a township sentence that assigns it outright, so ask the township before you assume either way. Repairs to the township's mains and manholes are the township's responsibility. If a camera shows the break sits right at the connection to the main, call the township with the footage.
When cleaning is enough and when it is not
A snake or jetter that restores flow is a cleaning job, not a repair. Roots, paper and grease buildup often respond to sewer line cleaning, and high-pressure water from hydro jetting scours the pipe wall as well as opening it.
If the same line backs up again within weeks, cleaning has probably reached its limit. The camera usually shows why, such as a broken section, a belly or a joint that roots keep entering, and that is the point to talk about repair.
Septic systems: rare in Abington, but ask first
Abington is almost entirely on public sewer. The township's 2007 plan says virtually all built-up areas, 99.99 percent, are served by public sanitary sewers, and that figure is 2007 data. When a drain backs up here, the cause is usually the lateral or the township main, not a septic tank.
A few properties may still have a tank. Township code generally requires owners next to a public sewer to connect, with buyers of an existing building given a set period after purchase.
If you think your property has a tank, say so on the first call, because a full tank, a failed drain field and a broken lateral need different work. If you are unsure which system you have, the township can tell you whether a sewer connection exists for your address.
What to do yourself and what to leave to a plumber
Safe while you wait
- Stop using water and keep the washer off
- Move belongings and rugs off the wet floor
- Photograph the damage before cleanup
- Wipe greasy pans with a paper towel before washing, as the township asks
- Stop flushing wipes, even the ones labeled flushable
Leave to a licensed plumber
- Running a camera through the lateral
- Cutting into or replacing buried pipe
- Lining or bursting a damaged line
- Deciding whether a break sits on your side or the township's
- Opening a cleanout under pressure
Why heavy rain and sewer backups travel together here
The township's wastewater page says sewers are subject to inflow and infiltration during wet weather, and its 2007 plan calls the system older. If a backup shows up only during storms and not on dry days, rain entering the system may be part of the cause, not only a fault in your lateral.
The township asks that downspouts, floor drains and sump pumps stay out of the sanitary sewer, and it suggests a check valve on basement drains. A plumber can confirm that none of those are tied to your sewer line, and the sump pump repair page covers the discharge side. Homes in Jenkintown can run the same checks.
Sewer line questions from Abington homeowners
Yes. The dispatch line is open 24 hours a day, every day, including holidays. Call, say which drain is backing up and give your address, and we will tell you what to do while a plumber is sent.
If only one fixture is slow, the trouble is likely inside your house. If every drain is slow or sewage appears in the lowest drain, the lateral or the main may be involved. Ask the neighbors, and call the township backup line at 215-884-8329.
Sometimes. Trenchless lining works inside the old pipe and needs little digging when the pipe still holds its shape. A collapsed or badly bellied line may need a trench, and a camera run shows which case you have.
It depends on the length, depth and what sits above the pipe, so we do not promise a time. Some repairs finish in a day and others take longer. The plumber can give you a realistic window after the camera inspection.
Policies differ a great deal. Many cover a sudden backup only with an added endorsement, and many exclude wear and root damage. Read your policy or call your insurer, and take photos before any cleanup.
Plumbing permits for pipes and drains go through a master plumber registered with the township. We did not find a lateral-specific rule, so the plumber confirms with Community Development before digging.
Lining and epoxy coatings can be an option for some cracked lines, including some under floors, but they depend on the pipe's condition and access. The camera inspection decides. Ask the plumber to explain why a method fits your pipe.
Tell the dispatcher on the first call. Abington is almost entirely on public sewer, so tanks are rare here, and a septic problem is different from a lateral problem. We will sort out what you have before sending anyone.